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“There can be no peace.” Anders said as the dust settled around them, the Chantry little more than rubble around them. The force of the explosion caused large stones to fly out, the screams of people letting everyone know where they hit.
The woman stood still, shock taking hold her her as the Orsino turned to Anders.
“Why? Why would you do such a thing?”
“I removed the chance of compromise, because there is no compromise.” He replied simply, and the words knocked Hawke out of her trance. Before anyone could say a thing, she launched herself at Anders, grabbing the mage by his collar. She lifted him just off the ground, blue eyes blazing as she seethed.
“That’s why you had me collecting shit in the sewers? That’s why you had me go to the chantry? You fucking used me?” Hawke pushed Anders away, causing him to fall over.
“If you knew what I was doing you would have felt honor bound to stop me. I couldn’t take that chance.”
“The Grand Cleric has been slain by magic.” Meredith said, taking in everything around her. “The Chantry destroyed.”
Hawke sensed where this was going, but Meredith ignored her shouts of, “No!” as she turned to face her templars.
“As Knight Commander of Kirkwall, I hereby invoke the Right of Annulment. Every mage of the Circle is to be executed immediately!”
“The Circle didn’t even do this!” Orsino insisted, turning to Hawke. “Champion you must-”
“Blame him.” Hawke was already a step ahead, pulling Anders up again and shoving him toward Meredith. “You want to take it out on anyone, take it out on him!”
“Oh, I will have him! And every mage in this city!” Meredith promised, “Even if I wished to, I could not stay my hand. The people will demand blood!”
Now both her and Orsino looking to Hawke, to the Champion of Kirkwall- their intent clear. It was time to choose.
“It can’t be stopped now, love.” Anders said in a broken voice, the last word causing Hawke’s knuckles to go white. “You have to choose.”
“Your a murderer.” She whispered. “Tonight’s blood will be on your hands.”
“I know.” Anders whispered back, and Meredith grunted impatiently.
“I don’t want to get involved in this.” Hawke said louder, although to her ears it came out almost as a plea.
“You are already involved in this. You are the Champion of Kirkwall, do your duty or fall with the other apostates.”
Hawke looked from Meredith to Orsino then to Anders and the rest of her companions. They are gave her grim or angry faces, and a clear sign of, “This is your choice.”
“I won’t let her slaughter a whole city of innocent mages.” Hawke decided, turning to Meredith.
“Think carefully, Champion.” Meredith warned, “Stand with them and you share their fate.”
“I have made my choice.” Hawke replied, the blazing anger turning to icy resolve in her stomach. Maker what was she doing. Despite knowing better, a part of her wished this was all just a nightmare- that she would wake up in Ander’s arms and he would hold her until it faded from her memory.
“You are a fool, Champion. Kill them all!” Meredith commanded, walking away as her templars drew their weapons. “I will rouse the rest of the Order.”
“Go,” Orsino told his mages, readying his stave for a fight. “Get to the Gallows before it is to late!”
The fight didn’t last long with the aid of Hawke and her companions, and in a way she wished it had lasted longer so that she did not have to face Anders now, who sat on some rubble and stared at what he had done.
“There’s nothing you can say that I haven’t already said to myself.” Anders told her as she stood behind him. “I took a spirit into my soul and changed myself forever to achieve this. This is the justice all mages have awaited.”
“This is justice? A city of innocent people murdered in the streets is justice? Hell, a city of guilty people dying because of your actions isn’t justice either!”
“Then what is justice, Hawke? Is justice tolerance or compromise? Is justice oppression? Is justice allowing children to be taken away or allowing mages to die because of paranoia? The world needs to see this. Then we can all stop pretending that the Circle is a solution”
“So you start a massacre to prove a point!” Hawke spat, and she could see Anders flinch at the words.
“I’m not proving a point, I’m changing the world! You’ve never been in a Circle, Hawke, I have! The people fear what we can do, but to use that fear to bludgeon us into submission is wrong! And they do it with our blessing? ”
“What did you think was going to happen after this, Anders? How did you think this was going to end?” Hawke offered softly, a wavering hand over her knife.
“My life is in your hands, love. If I pay the price with my life, then I pay. Perhaps then Justice would at least be free.”
Hawke looked to her companions, already knowing by their faces what they thought. The true question was what she thought. A small part of her had to agree, that the time was up. There could be no peace without confrontation. But as more screams joined Kirkwall’s new ambient sound, she couldn’t help but think there had to be another way, a better way.
She also wondered if she could ever look at his face again. If she would regret killing him or regret allowing him to live.
“Whatever you do, just do it.” Anders pushed her, and Hawke closed her eyes, hoping the Maker himself might tell her what to do. Of course there was no response.
“Just go.” She said, removing her hand from her knife. “I don’t want to see your face will I clean up your mess.”
“Thank you, Hawke.’ Anders muttered, before getting up and leaving. She watched him go and covered her face, taking a deep breath doing her best to calm the last of her nerves.
“All right, everyone.” She said, doing her best to sound as light and breezy as she always does. She looked at the remaining of her companions, all looking to her. How did she get here again?
“We best get to the Gallows, and quick,” Varric stepped in for her, always ready with words when she was not. “It’s going to be quite the show.”